by B.J. on 2/28/2004 12:28:00 PM 0 comments Print this post

Passion of The Christ: You Can Spell Myth with All of Jesus' Wounds

Nope, I'm not gonna do it. Not going to hate on it just because it was a religion movie, and then proceed to slam religion like Randy Savage on Hector "Macho" Camacho. Pero, I'm also not going to hate on it because I also actually didn't hate it, probably because I watched looking at how Mel Gibson would portray this as a reality. And along this search for reality I was trying to figure out one thing: why people have gotten so lost in the movie's violence and how that violence has made such robots of people.

Violence has been the constant attention-getter in this movie from what I've seen and heard. Ebert said it was one of the most violent movies he's ever seen. It is what has made non-Cata-holic Mowrio Galdamez watching it as if it were some other violent thriller like that House of a Thousand Corpses or whatever that trippy shit Rob Zombie made, want to see it again. Representing Cata-holics, I seen Cressa's and Dominic's blogs and both seem horrified by it and both have a new respect for Jeebus.

But Mellie Mel didn't even do this physical violence the best or even first. I thought other movies (of which I sadly can't name) shown to me at Loyola, all-male Catholic High School of Los Angeles, my junior year were more gruesome and disgusting, geared to emphasize suffering (plus I had watched a movie detailing the physiological torture Jesus might have gone through). The focus on the physical suffering that he went through worked on me inducing emotions of sympathy and a newfound respect for Jesus. So the shock of physical violence didn't fly at all in drawing me in towards this movie.

So a variety of emotions and reactions all attributed to physical violence. Violence in the movie was cool, violence in the movie induced sympathy and respect, violence induced anger.

Violence violence violence.

It was so natural in the movie. And in the bigger picture it's as if violence was so natural in that particular era and area. And I strongly question that.

Well hey from an entertainment point of view, violence in movies is still the most direct way to get the message across, I guess. And here's how violence in this movie does its work: Mel brought us to an "animalistic" and "primitive" and "savage" world driven by this physical violence and torture that gets away from the "comfortable" world of order and civilization created by humans. The violence in the movie goes in contrast to whatever we've seen in real life. So the violence then in this world in the movie is something natural like breathing. And you feel trapped and suffocated in it.

Adding fuel to the unviolent human's/civilian's fire (in the mind of course), Mel's black/white division of the world did a good job of amplifying those against Jesus as extremely "primitive" and "savage" and Pontius Pilate and other Christians as an innocent bystander. It was as if they ALL passionately hated him and ALL reacted in the same way (it got me wondering if they all hated him so strongly. I would have to ask exactly why they'd react so strongly). It has the effect of intensifying the mood and just promoting crap.

Yep, this violence was meant to induce sympathy and respect and love, etc. for Christ. And when a movie is meant to do something other than portray reality it has the effect of biasing the movie and making it thus making this work about God seem more artificial.

As Artificial. Human-made. That's the way to watch this kind of a non-fiction movie so you don't get bogged down in it. The main question I pose is would this movie be so moving and touching had it not been for this violence and brutal world portrayed by Mellie ? Would it be "oscar-worthy" as some on basketballboards.net think ?

Hell, no I fucking think.

Such a passionate fuckin' movie, and figuring out WHAT effects this movie was supposed to bring, I had to wonder exactly WHO this movie was geared towards. Oh would you look at that, I just remembered the previews.

The previews seemed to have white pre-teen-teenager kids in mind. First one was a light-hearted comedy about Christians called Saved ! with Mandy Moore in it. Then some crap about tigers in an "exotic" location like Asia. Continuing this waste of time was some movie about hicks not being allowed to water-ski. And capping off this crappola of white suburbanhood movies is this chick flick with Julia Styles falling for some prince. I was waiting for a movie with some infusion of "minorities" but they don't deserve a lead role in these movies. I guess it set the mood for Melly's Conservative white Catholic point of view movie. I guess those kids were supposed to be freaked the fuck out into loving Jee-bus then, is that right Mel ?

On the surface Mel meant for his story to act as a true/nonfiction story. But as a Catholic and part of a weird sect within it trying to portray to kids, he had to slip in a few of what he believed would help portray this movie. Therefore, I couldn't help but examine this mythifying effect of violence. And the violence seemed to be all it was about.

More on this movie later.

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by B.J. on 2/24/2004 03:09:00 PM 0 comments Print this post

I Am fo The Children, Always Am, Always Will Be (Part 3)

Another E-Mail. This is to stop Arnold's elimination of outreach programs. This takes about 15 seconds of your life. Here's why it's bad. And here too. I'm skeptical of them sending me bullshit in the air-mail too, but hey it's more scratch paper or something to wipe your car down with if you don't want it. And bullshit e-mail, well, just uncheck the box for updates etc. Yeah, sure it would be nice to know how many other people signed this thing, but if it was just me, least I'd be able to say that I did something.

*START MESSAGE*

FAX DAY IS TODAY!

ACTION TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT TO OUTREACH PROGRAMS

YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

The goal of Fax Day is to inform our state leaders of our opposition to the elimination of UC and CSU outreach programs and to encourage them to vote against the cuts to outreach in the upcoming budget. The first Fax Day will take place today, Tuesday Feb 24, 2004. We aim to fax as many letters as possible to local and statewide offices. For maximum effect, all campuses and constituencies are encouraged to participate, including program participants, UC/CSU students, parents, middle and high schools, and local business leaders.

There are two ways you can send your fax:

(1) Please send a fax to your local legislators. You can do so by accessing the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) website: http://ga1.org/campaign/access4all The site will prompt you to input your name, home address and zip code. The service will automatically send five faxes on your behalf. A fax letter will be sent to your local senator, your local assembly member, the senate budget committee chair, the assembly budget committee chair and the Governor. Please note this service allows only one fax to be sent.

(2) If you prefer, you may also send a fax directly to your legislator (s). Attached is a sample letter. If you prefer, your letters may be customized to reflect your individual feelings, or revised in some other way. Please review the attached letter and fax one to your local senator and one to your local assembly member. Visit your assembly member and senator's website to obtain a fax number: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html

Thank you for participating in the campaign to oppose the Governor's proposed elimination of outreach programs for the University of California and the California State University systems. Please forward this message onto anyone who may be interested in participating.

Pablo G. Reguerin

Associate Director

Educational Partnership Center

*END MESSAGE*

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by B.J. on 2/22/2004 12:00:00 AM 0 comments Print this post

Attack on Poor Mothers

Note: None of this is my writing, but it's been in my mailbox for a longass time just sitting there. It seems loaded with a lot of information. I feel like I might need it some time.

*BEGIN MESSAGE*

"This is an urgent message from http://www.StopFamilyViolence.org in collaboration with Jane Doe Inc. Please take action and forward as quickly and broadly as possible!

http://stopfamilyviolence.org/sfvo/TANF_marriage.html today!

**************************************************************

1.) The People's Voice for Family Peace

January 22, 2004

A $500 billion deficit; 8 million people unemployed; job market stagnant ; 12 million children uninsured; and one-third of single mothers living in poverty. What does the administration propose? The Cupid Project!

The government wants single mothers to get married. That's the message President Bush wants Congress to send to more than 2 million low-income mothers across this country. Not only that, in its new Welfare bill, Congress is ready to spend $300 million per year - a total of $1.5 billion over the next five years - of your taxpayer dollars to make it happen!

What’s wrong with this idea? Plenty!

First, it's an appalling example of government intrusion into one of the most personal and private decisions a person can make. Do we really want government to have a role in telling us when or who to marry? Unbelievable!

Second, it places lives at risk. The majority of mothers targeted for these marriage promotion programs - indeed, the majority of mothers receiving welfare assistance - are women who have been victims of domestic violence. For one third of these women, the abuse is ongoing. These marriage promotion programs will coerce women to stay in dangerous relationships by offering more welfare money for getting or staying married. Women who are being abused need support to escape and recover from the abuse, not incentives to stay in unsafe relationships.

Third, spending $1.5 billon on these programs is fiscally irresponsible, especially since these programs are unproven. Poverty is a complex problem , and simple-minded fixes like this simply will not work. What’s more, even if these programs did work, the best they’d do is make women economically dependant on the men they marry, not help them become self-supporting.

Instead, Congress should spend the money on education, training, child-care, domestic violence, mental health and substance abuse services - programs which are known to help lift women out of poverty and help them become self-sufficient.

The House of Representatives and the Senate Finance Committee have already approved Project Cupid.
In February, the full Senate is expected to vote on Project Cupid, along with the rest of the welfare reform package. This proposal must be stopped!

ACT NOW!!

2) Contact President Bush and your Senators today to tell them you oppose Project Cupid!

What to say:
Tell them you don't want government intruding into private family decisions. Let them know you want them to spend your tax-dollars to help women and children to stay safe and become self-sufficient.

Contact California Senators Boxer and Fienstein TODAY and forward this email to everyone you know. For outside of California, go to:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?OrderBy=state&Sort=ASC

President George Bush
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
(Tell them you want to leave a message for Bush)

Boxer, Barbara - (D - CA)
112 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3553

Feinstein, Dianne - (D - CA)
331 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3841


---------------------------------
3.) STOP FAMILY VIOLENCE WEDDING ALBUM
Please share your personal story of your experience with domestic violence, marriage and poverty, or domestic violence and marriage counseling. We'll compile your stories into a "wedding album" that we'll present to key legislators to show them just how disastrous their plans for marriage promotion will be. (you don't need to include your name - just your story) http://www.stopfamilyviolence.org/sfvo/wed_survey.html

Thanks for your support.

Our strength is in our numbers!!!

Please forward this message to others. Together we can.. http://www.stopfamilyviolence.org

Irene Weiser
Stop Family Violence
331 W. 57th St #518
New York, NY 10019"

*END MESSAGE (ha almost sounds like end massage. Random lame assertion like Jessica Simpson would do, I know)*

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by B.J. on 2/21/2004 11:53:00 AM 0 comments Print this post

This Has taken Up My Time

WELCOME TO MARIO'S BLOG SPOT

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by B.J. on 2/17/2004 05:13:00 PM 0 comments Print this post

Definition of Loser (from a middle-class college kid's point of view)

(Stolen from willblank's profile)

(This is assuming you have all the tools handfed to you; much harder when you come from a tough neighborhood IMHO)

The loser: feels helpless and unable to cope with the world and waits for someone to come to the rescue. He/she shows a mask of indifference and/or self-pity. This mask protects him/her against fear of taking responsibility for changing his/her life. He/she is dependent on others, continuously looking for guidance. This may lead to further problems such as lack of assertiveness skills, under-achievement and excessive reliance on others in relationships.

Remember this when you are down and out.

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by B.J. on 2/12/2004 07:16:00 AM 0 comments Print this post

Why I Hate Catholic Rituals

What do you believe in, biotch (in Dave Chappelle get "rich beech" tone announcing his production company) ?

God ? Allah ? Spirits ? Yourself ?

A few weeks ago I sauntered onto some Zen Buddhist meditation. It's a religion geared towards spirituality. Spirituality meaning you "finding yourself" like Nemo (actually like Dori and Merlin or whatever his name is, but that's besides the point). It's a religion that encourages participation.

Now here's what this meditation wasn't. This meditation wasn't the long humdrum one in a gassed up piece of architecture called a church with 500 other people. It wasn't the one where some tall balding jackarses named Russ sit in front of me and block my damn view. It isn't the religion in which the priest carries out rituals that might have meant something in the ancient past. It ain't Catholicism.

Catholic rituals just bore me to tears and always have me looking around for something fun to do during it. For serious it does, I hate it. But wait, why do I hate these rituals ?

Cause none of them have meaning to me. I still don't know what these rituals mean from a purely historical point of view despite 12 years at Catholic schools. There's no story. We just kind of engage in the receiving of the bread because Jebus died for us. There's no connection to me, I get lost. Helping to foster this lack of connection is a big varied crowd a priest needs to preach to. And he has in mind the old white foggies in the front.

In contrast, it seems that small-scale religions, like the Huichol "Indian" religion in Mexico and the Voodoo religion out of Haiti are much more successful in terms of getting someone to spirituality. Folks who engage in the rituals for those religions "find themselves." They know exactly what everything means because religion is part of their heritage and history. Their religions are interwoven with their heritage very strongly. However part of the reason religion is interwoven with their heritage could be that they are predominantly homogeneic. In these homogenic societies, religion is

Catholicism would find it hardpressed to interweave the many different heritages it has into one. I am in the United States as a Filipino kid with some Spanish blood somewhat forced upon a religion that has its roots in Rome out of admiration for a Jew. They go by rituals from quite a long while ago without anyone except for the priest really knowing what was meant by it other than Jesus getting nailed to a cross and dying for our sins. What ? Did his 12 friends got drunk off red wine to wash away their misery ? I dunno, *LoLz*, because I haven't focused on it.

I haven't focused on it because religion has been something seperate from the rest of my life, something I did on Sundays and in school which is not to imply that if it did become thrust in my face like a spikestrip and it was already pretty shoved in my face going to Catholic schools, that I would readily accept it. While some people can find solace in it, there is just no real connection to me at the moment.

(And BTW I don't want to be atheistic because the supernatural has not been disproven. That's where "logic" and "science" fall miserably short of its hype today and no different to religion. Err. . .this blurb down here will turn into another post some day)

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Why Bullshit Gets Thrown Around

by B.J. on 2/08/2004 10:12:00 AM 0 comments Print this post

I define bullshit as "lies, lack of genuineness, or excess." Lack of genuineness meaning not true to yourself. Not true to yourself meaning you are presenting yourself with a different set of values (not so much action because we all act differently with various people) depending on a situation. For example, you'd be acting upon the value of self-control with parents, but then you'd lose that control without them. And everything about you changes. It's manifested not only in what you do, but the way you carry yourself overall. That's what not being true to self is.

And why would you not be true to yourself ? Because you have an ends to meet.

As long as people feel they have an ends to meet and they don't have a means of getting that ends, bullshit will get thrown around.

And in as large a society as the United States, there can only be so much disorder. So to ensure order, there are ends/goals (which are arbitrary in themselves) to be met for members of society. For example, one end/goal is getting into college. A lot of bullshit will be thrown in the application in essays, extracurricular activities when you were really an unproductive waste of space.

Money is obviously the main ends here in the United States. And people will find all types of ways to get it and engage in plenty of bullshit behavior.

Then the questions should come into mind, why is that ends of money in particular, important ? Will I be able to live without the ends ?

Well of course money is needed to survive. But to my perceived audience --- my friends, a bunch of middle-class college kids who surf the internet, yes you will be able to live without an excess of that end. You probably won't be out on the street scratching for change (unlike me).

A more subtle ends is having a good time. I've been watching Bill Cosby comedy as of late, and he has this one segment about "having a good time." It's about drinking and doing drugs. Point is people will do plenty of bullshit just "to have a good time." And it's still all bullshit.

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by B.J. on 2/07/2004 09:57:00 AM 0 comments Print this post

Quick Note

When you got something due and you're just trying to get started, don't ever make the mistake of looking at a clock. Just start now.

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by B.J. on 2/06/2004 05:53:00 PM 0 comments Print this post

Addition to Post about Political Correctness

Forgot to ask exactly who engaged in political correctness. They are: "liberals" and moral "puritans." Liberals shout for political correctness it when a label upon someone/something is just too negative and gives a bad image. Moral "puritans" shout for political correctness when a label upon someone/something is in what these moral puritans regard as bad taste.

*Oh yeah, I haven't posted in a long time because I haven't felt strong enough to say anything. Many times during the week I've tried to post but it just hasn't felt right. I've had many ideas, but I've had to spend a little more time on school with me gaining a social life this quarter. Damnit.

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